Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



' of the barrel, as shown in Fig. 2.

UNITED STATES JOHN PERCY, or ALBANY, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN YBRLEECH-LOADING" FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 39,494 dated August 11, 1863.

To all 'whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN PEROY,Of Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented a new and. Improved Fire-Arm; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side view of my improved breech-loading fire-arm. Fig. 2 is alongi-tudinal vertical section taken through the center of Fig. 1. Fig-.3 is ahoriz'ontal section through the rear-end of the barrel and a portion of the lockcase. Fig. l isa vertical transverse section through Fig. 2, indicated by red line 00 m. Similar letters of reference indicat 'ecorrespending parts in the several figures.

This invention has for its object the con-- struction of a breech-loading fire-arm which present-s a smooth uninterrupted surface on the top of the'neck and breech end of the barrel and on the sides of the same, and which also prevents the admission of water to the interior of the lock or lock-chamber.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A repre sents the wood portion of the stock, Athe metallic frame which surrounds it, and B the neck or reducedportion of the stock, which,

together with the grooved holding portion 0,

are cast in" one piece, with the exception of a side plate, B, that is fitted on the side of neck 13, and forms a water-tight cover for the lock, which is contained within this 'neck B, as will be hereinafter described.

D represents the barrel of the gun, which, I

being constructed in the usual form for a rifle or other arm, is fitted at its rear end against the vertical end of a breech-guard, a, so as to prevent the escape of gas at this point. This barrel is pivoted to the grooved supportingpiece 0 at b' by a pin, which passestransversely through the jaws of this piece and,

through an ear, 6, which is on the lower side The piece G is grooved out and adapted to fit the sides of the barrel snugly, and at or near therear end of the barrel is a springlatch, E,'whioh is pivoted to cars projecting from the bottom surface of the barrel, (shown inFig. 2,) and-which is furnished on its forward edge with a notch that'catc'hes under the forward edge of'a slot,

a, through which the lower end of the latch 0r trigger'pas'ses; The flat spring 0 vpresses against. a short projection on the latchE, and .tends to keep the lower end of the latch in the position shown in Fig. 2.' This trigger-latch E is furnished with guard-plate, E, and,

used to keep; the rear end of the barrel-D in its place when this end is pressed down in the groove in the piece 0, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in black lines. Bydrawing the projecting finger-piece of the latch E back, this latch will release the rear end of the barrel, and, the forward end being-the heaviest, the barrel will assume a position for receiving the cartridge,- as shown in red lines, Fig, 2.

. The breech-block a being cast with the portions 0 and B, it forms a solid shield, and the rear end of the barrel D should be fitted tightly against the outer surface of this shield,

so as to exclude Water or moisture, and, as before stated, to prevent the escapeofgas atthe rear or breech end of the barrel.

bler F, Figs. 2 and To the opposite end'of tumbler F the rear setting-trigger, G, is pivoted by means of couplinglink, g, which causes the backward movement of this trigger to thrust the hammer e backward audto cock now in use. These devices, which constitute the lock, are applied to-a lock-plate, J, which is recessed into the neck of the stock and secured therein by means of a' plate, B, and

screw-pins j k, which confine both the lock-- plate .J and side plate, B, rigidlyin their plac'es.-

The lower portions (edges) of both triggers G F are constructed in the form of segments of circles which are described concentrically with respect to their axes of motion. These triggers Through the upper part of the solid block a passes a hammer-rod, e, the rear end of which ispivoted to a projection, f, on the'oscillating tum I being thus constructed, they are so fitted withlows the triggers to bemoved back and forth for cooking and discharging the piece.

On one side (right side) of the barrel D, I form a longitudinal dovetail groove, into which is inserted a sliding plate, n, having a thumb-button, 'p, affixed to its forward end and projecting therefrom a short distance. rear end of the slide a has a segmental finger, r, formed on it, which piece, it being at right angles to the slide a, is recessed into the rear end of the barrel D, flush with thisend, "(shown in Fig. 3,) and being thus applied, the finger r is grooved. to correspond with the groove 8, which is made in the edge of the bore of the barrel, asshown in'Fig. 3. Thus itwillbe seen that when the finger r is in its place in the barrel an annular grooveor depression slightly larger than the bore of the barrel will be formed, a portion, 1", of which is removable or attached toa sliding plate, n, by means of which said piece can be-thrust backward out of its seat. The object of finger r is to remove the cartridge-case after the gun has been discharged, and the cartridge being constructed with a jcircular flange on its rear end adapted to fit the groove 8, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, this flange is caught by the finger 1-, and thus the'cartridge can be removed from the gun bydrawing back theslide h when the barrel D is in the position indicated by the red lines, Fig. 2. This flange, which' is formed around the rear edge of thecartridgecase, not'only serves in my improved arm as a means whereby the case can be removed-from the barrel after a discharge of the gum-but it also serves as a means whereby the hammer e, inclosedvwithin the neck of the stock, may be employed as an exploder for the charge.

This flange referred to, being filled with fulminating-pow- I der, is struck by the forward end of the hamof the gun with a chamber which has segmer e, and the charge is in this manner ignit'ed. It will therefore be seen that the finger ,1 forms avery important part in the perfection of my improved fire-arm, as it enables me to use a cartridge which may be exploded by means of a hammer inclosed within the stock of a pivoted-barrel breech-loader.

I In loading and discharging my gun, the operation is as follows: The gun having been discharged, the latch E is moved backward, thus disengaging and allowing the rear end of the barrel D'to tilt upward, as indicated in red lines, Fig; 2. The cartridge is now introduced into the rear end of the barrel and the barrel returnedto its former position. The hammer 0 should be drawn back previously to releasing the barrel to insert the cartridge, and this can be done by pulling back the trigger G un- 'for-ward trigger, F.

The

til the tumbler F is caught and held by the Then, when the charged barrel is returned to its position in the sup-"- porting-piece O, the piece is'ready for firing. It will be seen from the above description of my inclosed-hammer breech-loading arm that the lock-chamber is formed in a solid' metallic;

portion, B a G O, and that this lock-chamber is closed by means of ametallic plate, B,"the edges of which-are made to fit tightly in'th'eir seat in the portion B, so as to exclude water at this point. This, with the; segmentalform' of the parts G F and the closely-fitting ham- 1 mer-rod e, prevents, for all practical purposes,

the admission of water into the lock=chamber and keeps the parts which compose. the lock' from speedily rusting. The inclosed hammer e strikes directly upon the bead or flanged edge of thec artridge, and the arrangement of this hammer enables me touse a metallic car tridge, which remains in the gun after the explosion and swells out, was to tightly fit the parts surrounding it, thus preveting the escape of gas at the breech-a serious objection to most breech-loadingguns wherein a needle or inclosed hammer is jused.' After the load has been discharged and thebreech of the barrel tipped up, the metallic cartridge-case can. be readily removed by means'of the extractor, which is applied to the barrel D "andgmoves with it, asbeforedescribed. I

I am aware that cartridges have been -ex-; ploded in fire-arms by the cock striking a slide-bolt, whichjsin immediate contact with the cartridge; but in that mode there is a crack for windage during" thefi-ring, and the ham-' mer or cock is in sight and in the way and liable to be caught against objects, and thereby injured or destroyed. The lock is also liable to be impaired from dampness or water.- I do not therefore claim, broadly, the direct contact of an exploder with the cartridge; but, Having thus d'eseribed my invention, what I claim as'new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The construction of the neck of. the stock mental seats for the triggers, a removable plate, J, and a perforated diaphragm, a, in combination with the lock and hammer meleganism, which-is arranged and operates s" stantially as described, the whole constituting a device which is snificiently water-proof for all practical purposes, as set forth.

2. In combination with the solid shield or diaphragm a, pivoted hammer e, and breech loading barrel D, the water-tight lock-cham ber formed in the casting or portion stantially as described.

JOHN PERCY.

13-0, sub- Witnesses:

- SAMUEL WVINcHEsTER,

CHARLES HORTON. 

